A child who was diagnosed with a terrible nerve illness urged his mother to amputate his leg to relieve his pain and informed her he ‘wanted to die.’
Dillon Wilford, 10, was a “happy and healthy youngster” until November 2021, when he awoke with a limp and “extreme discomfort” in his right leg. After three months of waiting, physicians determined that the child had Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), a disorder that causes intense agony that does not go away.
Since there is no cure and only a few effective treatments, the illness is commonly referred to as “the suicide disease” – even the lightest touch to the afflicted region produces extreme pain.
Dillon, of Sharples, Greater Manchester, has had to stop coming to school as a result of the excruciating agony and has even urged his mother, Melanie, 47, to have his leg ‘amputated.’ The single mother-of-four is now attempting to fund £100,000 in order to fly Dillon to America for specialized therapy that is not accessible in the UK.
Ms Wilford explained that one day he was eating a strawberry when a little seed flew off and injured his leg. He screams if he gets cat hair on his leg.
She continued that it’s 12cm above his knee all the way down to his feet, his right leg. This is hell, pure hell. It’s the equivalent of a life sentence for a youngster. Amputations are less expensive in the United States for persons with CRPS.
He asked her to amputate his leg. He said he wanted to die. It’s heartbreaking to see her cheeky youngster wind up like this. People must be made aware of the severity of the situation. He hasn’t been to school in three months for a small child who has this.
The NHS provides information and management, physical rehabilitation, pain relief, and psychological support to those battling from the illness.
Ms Wilford, a student nurse, and her daughter Maddison, 24, have been assisting with the schoolboy’s treatment. She explained that they are raising $100,000 for him to send him to America, to a facility in Arkansas. It involves light therapy, oxygen treatment, and they do things in this nation that they don’t look at his situation.
It’s a 16-week therapy that takes place every day. They do over 120 blood tests a day – they haven’t even tested his blood test yet. That is not done in the United Kingdom.
While there is no known treatment for CRPS, they can put individuals in remission. If you have CRPS, you will have it for the rest of your life. They get you walking again once you arrive in America.
Individuals she has spoken to in other countries don’t appear to get it back after receiving therapy in the US. It was four weeks between physio treatments, which isn’t on. She wishes to increase awareness about it. There was no reason for it. He awoke one morning limping, entirely out of the blue. He yelled horribly all night that night.
She brought him to A&E the next day, and they stated there was nothing wrong with him. Her children refer to her as “paper towel mum,” but the screams were horrifying. They only encountered a different doctor by chance, who asked her to explain the complete story and claimed she knew what it was.
They requested referrals to Manchester Children’s Hospital, however they declined because they did nothing. They were afraid he’d lose his leg since there was no blood supply to it. He was given morphine and had a severe response to it.
It’s referred to as the suicide illness. It has a negative impact on their mental health. He couldn’t use his crutches since he was frequently hospitalized and bed-bound. She was afraid he’d shrivel up to nothing.
Every night, he shouts. Her son’s wailing is the first thing she hears when she wakes up. He constantly yells. He is required to wear shorts.
Prayers for this young boy’s complete and rapid recovery, as well as peace of mind for him and his whole family.
